Explanation:
On September 26,
a large solar
coronal mass ejection smacked into planet
Earth's magnetosphere
producing a severe geomagnetic storm and wide spread auroras.
Captured here near
local midnight from Kvaløya island
outside Tromsø in northern Norway, the intense auroral glow
was framed by parting rain clouds.
Tinted orange, the clouds are also in silhouette as
the tops of the colorful shimmering
curtains
of northern lights
extend well over 100 kilometers above the ground.
Though the auroral rays are parallel, perspective
makes them appear to radiate from a vanishing point at
the zenith.
Near the bottom of the scene, an even more distant Pleiades star
cluster and bright planet Jupiter shine on this
cloudy northern night.
Instant Gallery:
Images and movies of recent auroras.
